Why you need an ‘about page’

It’s an essential part of every business’ website – but how?

This means they’re pretty crucial! If plain analytics are telling us that users gravitate to reading your ‘about page’, then this should be enough to convince you they’re well sought after.

But why exactly, does this mean having an about page is a necessity?

An about page is the essence of your business’ ‘why’ factor

We know, it can be hard to get your head around the whole online-marketing-and-brand-strategy thing, but think about it this way – people browsing the web are going to be looking for business validation. And that’s the first reason that you really need a page that showcases your ‘why’.

We’re going to delve into some more detail here – or more specifically – absolutely convince you that an about page is a non-negotiable asset to your website, with three more crucial factors.

3 reasons why an about page is essential

1. It highlights your business purpose

You might be thinking you don’t need to ‘explain your business’, when you’ve got designated pages for that.

But while your service pages delve into the details of the work you do, an about page gives the essential background – and provides a general understanding of your business.

After all, people want an overview of what you do, that outlines in simple terms your basic purpose for existence.

It’s crucial because it means your customers have an easy way of unfolding your business, and making a decision as to whether it’s what they need or not.

And they’re not going to leap into the nitty-gritty details of how you do the job – they simply want to know that you do it.

What not to do: industry jargon. Explaining your business is one thing, but going in to the depths of industry-used terms and specialities just doesn’t have a place on an about page.

What to do: polished, clear language. Remember you’re trying to get an idea across. Clever, confusing talk that sidesteps around your point, is quite frankly, going to irritate your customers.

2. You can communicate your identity to the world

An about page has a very special trait – your personality. This means that you can showcase your business point of difference and stand out from competitors.

You have the opportunity to be personable, creative, unique – and portray all the quirks of your personal voice. And the best part? Customers love it!

Showing your customers who you are and what’s important to them will help you create an instant connection, not to mention create business validation

It might be written in between the lines of your content, or you might clearly state your brand identity – but either way, it’s the personal part of your about page that customers connect to.

What not to do: babble. While this is a crucial element to your about page, other things need to be mentioned too. Don’t get too carried away with talking about all your quirks!

What to do: talk about your values. This special space on your about page is the place to showcase what you stand for and what’s important to your business.

3. Tell your business story

All in all, an about page is the ‘why’ to your business. And when we begin to break that down, it means your history and background have their time to shine – it’s actually quite exciting!

You have the space to go into detail of your business story, where you came from, and what the journey since then has involved.

It gives customers business validation of your service when they can see your journey, and understand your business.

Don’t be afraid of your beginnings. It’s actually humbling to see a simple startup turn into success, and reading about it always goes appreciated.

What not to do: only talk about yourself. Yes your story is important, and it’s what customers are there for – but they also want to see how it’s giving them what they want.

What to do: give data. Think back to business validation, and how customers want to be certain to use your service. The about page is a nice space to validate your business with the stats and figures that display your growth and success.

So, have you got an about page yet?

Don’t get carried away with the ‘an about page is a cliche’ idea. It doesn’t matter if you name it 'Our Story', 'Who We Are', or 'Our Difference' – you just need to make sure it's serving its purpose.

It’s a necessary asset to your website that will do nothing but good for your business.

Everything a person looks for in a business comes down to the depth of service they’ll receive, the people they’re going to deal with, and the authenticity of the company – all elements that have a home on the ever-so-crucial ‘about page’

So if you haven't already got an about page for your website, it’s time to start showing who you are.

Need help writing a winning about page that draws in your ideal customers? Give us a buzz, it’s what we’re good at.